Book Breaks

Tokyo-based author W. David Marx will speak about his 2015 cultural history of American fashion in Japan — Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style — which has recently been re-released by Basic Books with a new afterword after surprising global success. Marx will give a...

Hidden Japan is the story of ten little known or less visited places in Japan. It was inspired by one of the author’s mentors, writer Shirasu Masako 白洲正子, whose 1971 book Kakurezato (『かくれ里』, “Hidden Hamlets”) focused on the rich history of small...

In her debut novel, A Thousand Graces, award-winning author Karen Hill Anton takes readers on a trip back in time to late 60s early 70s Japan. Deftly avoiding cultural and gender stereotypes, Anton, a keen observer, draws on her decades living in Japan to...

The speakers: Colin P.A. Jones and Andrea Ortolani The Annotated Constitution of Japan: A Handbook for the first time makes the entirety of Japanʼs constitution accessible in English. The book consists of a historical and contextual overview of how the constitution came into being, followed...

Rural areas have generally been associated with stagnation, depopulation and lack of perspectives. Yet Susanne Klien in her book, published by SUNY Press in 2020, aims to radically rethink the stereo-type image of countryside in Japan and beyond. Drawing on nine years of multi-sited ethnographic...

Western media coverage of Japan often varies from adulation of its enigmatic mysteries and ceremonies to anime and cosplay fun. Japanese institutions also perpetrate stereotypical notions and preconceptions that mask the reality of the people and places of the country.  Not a travel book or...

英文の下に日本語の案内がございます。 In the annals of Japan's 20th century history, the story of Seigen Tanaka (1906-1993), a controversial figure who led a checkered and tempestuous life, stands out as a rarity. While many Japanese viewed Tanaka as a patriot and hero, others labelled him a traitor...